Angularly adjustable electrical connector



Oct. 17, 1961 J. T. JANlK ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

J. T. JANIK FIG. 2.

ATTORfiEYS.

Oct. 17, 1961 J. 1". JANIK 3,005,182

ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR. J.T.JAN|K 3. .4, 2M M/K ATTORNEYS.

3,005,182 ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Joseph T. Janik, 6008 N. 28th St., Arlington 7, Va. Filed Sept. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 760,276 6 Claims. (Cl. 339-245) (Granted under Title 35, U.S. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to an angularly adjustable electrical connector adapted to clamp an electrical wire or cable.

Electrical junction boxes, fuse boxes, switch boxes and other devices of a like nature are usually provided with electrical connectors to which are connected incoming and/or outgoing wires. The connection of the aforementioned wires in the field frequently presents problems, inasmuch as the wires frequently do not extend in the same direction as openings provided in the connectors and thus the wires must be bent in order that the ends thereof may be inserted into said openings. Such bending of the incoming and/or outgoing wires of course entails extra work, renders the job unwielding and in addition frequently results in a cumbersome connection. Furthermore, bending of wires is simple when wires are relatively small in diameter but when said wires are quite thick, bending thereof in confined quarters is extremely difiicult if not impossible. Various means have been provided in an attempt to overcome the aforementioned difliculties; for example, the use of connectors having a plurality of grooves therein. The latter device has not proven entirely successful inasmuch as the grooves cannot always be oriented in the most desirable manner when the journal box or the like is being manufactured so thatsaid grooves will be properly oriented when wires areconnected thereto in the field. Other attempts at providing adjustable connectors have resulted in the production of rather large, bulky and complicated connectors which have proven to be largely ineffective for the purposes intended.

in accordance with the instant invention the angularly adjustable connector is provided having a rotatable connector body having a pair of holes extending therein, whereby a wire may be extended through said connector. The instant device also includes means for simultaneous- 1y clamping either an incoming or outgoing wire to the connector body and at the same time clamping said connector body in an angularly adjusted position with said holes in alignment with the axis of said wire.

. It is an object of this invention to provide a wire connector means that overcomes the disadvantages found in the prior art.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wire connector that is angularly adjustable to receive wires extending in various angular directions relative to said connector.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wire connector that is angularly adjustable and is provided with wire clamping means.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an angularly adjustable electrical connector having a wire clamping means that does not abrade the wire as it is tightened onto said wire.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an angularly adjustable electrical connector having wire clamping means thereon that is adapted to simultaneous- 1y clamp a wirejand be clamped in an angular position of adjustment.

An added object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector having an abrasionless wire clamping means.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an angularly adjustable connector having wire clamping means, and which is adapted to be simultaneously locked in position of angular adjustment upon the clamping of a wire thereto, said connector having wire clamping means that does not abrade the wire as said wire is clamped.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood, by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an angularly adjustable electrical connector produced in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective sectional view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, in section, of the instant invention;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view, in section, of the instant invention showing an electrical wire connected thereto; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of another embodiment of the instant angularly adjustable connector.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1- an adjustable electrical connector 10 connected to a bus bar 12. It is emphasized that while the instant connector 10 is shown connected to a bus-bar 12, said connector is not limited to use with a bus-bar, but rather may be utilized in other installations where an electrical connector or wire clamp is desirable.

The connector 10 comprises a cylindrical connector body 14 having a pair of diametrically opposed wire receiving openings 16 therein. The interior of the connector body 14 is provided with screw threads 18 ex tending substantially the length thereof, and one end of the connector body 14 is provided with an end closure wall 20. The end wall 20 is provided with an axially located hole 22 that extends through the center thereof. The inner face of the end wall 20 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed indexing bars 24 that extend radially of the centrally located hole 22. The purpose of the indexing bars 24 is hereinafter described in detail.

An externally threaded pressure screw 26 is threadedly mounted within the connector body 14 and is adapted to be screwed into said body 14 for a substantial distance. The pressure screw is provided at its outer end with a suitable tool receiving socket 28 whereby the same may be screwed into the connector body 1.4. A pressure disk 30 is rotatably attached to the pressure screw 26, and has a serrated pressure surface 32. The pressure disk 30 is held in connection with the screw 26 by means of a rivet 34 that extends through a hole in the disk 30 and has its stud portion anchored in the lower face of the pressure screw 26. The pressure disk 30 is free to rotate relative to the pressure screw 26 and the rivet 34 that holds said disk in connection with said pressure screw. It is pointed out that the head of the rivet is recessed somewhat inwardly of the pressure surface 32 of the pressure disk 30 and that the upper surface of said pressure disk is in contact with the lower surface of the pressure screw 26. The lower surface 32 of the pressure disk 30 is serrated or grooved so as to form a rough frictional surface adapted to bear against an electrical wire .33 or the like inserted into the connector body 14 and prevent rotation of the disk relative to said wire when the screw 26 is rotated.

s The connector further comprises a lower pressure bar 36 having a connecting stud 38 fixedly attached to its lower surface and extending downwardly therefrom, and rotatably through the hole 22 in the lower wall 20 of the connector 14. The stud 38 is adapted to be fixedly attached to the bus bai- "not other'frner'nber'to which the c driiiector 10 is adapted to be'j'oined, by welding 39, or t e like? The upper face of the'pressure bar% is, like the lower surface" of the rotatable pressure disk 30, proi 'ided with a" serrated surface adapted to bear against ihe.wire 33- .r

The face of the lower pressure bar 36 is provided with a plurality of'grdoves 4tl exten'ding radially'of the downwardly extending stud 38, said grooves being approxi n ately ofthe sa me width as the indexing bars 24 whereby the respective 'inde xing bars 24 are adapted to be received in diametrically opposed grooves "ltl on the was sf 'th s'ssu b 'r" in thi anner h after described and shown in'FIG."4.""'

It is pointed out that prior to insertion of an electrical wire into the instant connector, said 'cbnnecto'r is in the oondition shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with the' conn'ector beams" resting on the'upper race of the'b'us bar 12. The various dimensions of the lower pressure bar 36 are so proportioned that'when the structure' is in the condition" shownin' FIGS. 2" and 3 the connector body 14 is free to rotate relative to the lower pressure bar, there being'no locking "tendency between the indexing bars 24 and the lower pressure disk. l Brior to inserting an electrical wire 33 into the connector body 14, said body is rotated'so that the openings 16 iii the wall thereof are in 'axiatalignmen't with the wire 35 iri'the r'nanner shown in FIG. '4'. The wire is then ini "ed through thef'r'espective holes 16 and the pressure w 26'is rcitated in such a manner as to'r'nove it downwardly into the connector body'14 so that the pressure di sk" 30"is"broughtinto contact with the wire. 'As the pressure disk 30 comes into contact'with the w ire 33 the ldw'er serrated surface 32 thereof prevents relative rotation betwee rithe disk amine wire and asthe pressure screw is moved'downwa'rdly the wireis pressed into contact with the upper surface of the lower pressure bar 36. As further rotation of" the pressure screw 26 continues theco'nnector body 14' is raised off the surface of the bus bar in and the indexing bars 24are broughtinto juxtaposed grooves 4t on the lower face of the pressure bar 36. Thus'the connector body 14 is locked relative to the lower pressure bar, and relative to the bus bar 12 since the stud 38 is fixed relative tosaid bar. Thus the connector '10 provides a single operation means for clamping a wire relative thereto, and also for locking the connector in an angularly adjusted position. It is pointedout that the indexing bars 24, the grooves 49 in'the lower surface of the pressure bar 36, and the thickness of said pressure bar are so proportioned that when' the connector is in locked position, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of'the pressure bar is above the lower edge of each of the diametrically opposed openings 16 in the wall of the connector body 14, thereby pre venting bending and/or abrasion of 'the electrical wire on the edges of said openings. i i

"It is pointed out that the connector 10 provides a means for clamping a wire without abrading the surface of the wire, by virtue of the use of the rotatable disk 30 attached'to the lower face of the pressure screw 26, said disk being free to rotate relative to said pressure screw asthe latter is screwed into the connector body 14. The

only portion of theconnector that rotates relative to the wire 33 is the head of the rivet 34 that holds the pressure disk Bil in connection'with the 'pressure screw', which rotation is not harmful, since said head is recessed from the surface of the disk 31}. Of course the upper surface of the pressure bar 36 is locked against rotation relative to the wire 33 by virtue of the interlocking action of the indexing bars 24 and the grooves 40 in the lower face of the pressure bar, thereby preventing abrasive action between the pressure bar 36 and the wire.

Attention is directed to FIG. 5 wherein is shown a modified connector Ma. The connector ltla comprises an internally threaded connector body 14a having a pair of wire receiving holes 16a in its wall' in diametrically opposed relation to one another. An end wall 20a extends across one end of the connector body 14a and has a centrally located hole 22a formed therein. A pair of juxtaposed, radially extending indexing bars 24a are provided on the inner face of the end wall 20a. The indexing bars 24a are adapted to interlock with selected pairs'of grooves 443a formed on the undersurfaceof a lower pressure bar 36a rotatably situated within the con: nector body 14a, in much the same manner that the indexing bars 24 in "cjonne'ctorbody 1 cooperate with the grooves 46 in pressure bar '36.

The prime difference between the connector bodies 14 and 1422 is that in theconnector body Ha each of the wire receiving holes 16a has its lower edge substantially flush with the upper surface of the end wall 20a, and that the indexing bars 24a extend above the lower edge of the holes 16a. This latter feature of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5se'rves to expedite the construction of the connector body 14a by making it somewhat easier to machine the indexing bars 2i4a, they areto be formed by machining.

It should also be noted that, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the alignment of the holes 16a in the conned; tor body 14a in 'a desired direction, is expedited by virtue of the fact that both the indexing bars 2 4a and the grooves an are fully'visible at all times.

It is emphasized that both embodiments of the in; stant invention'provide a connector, for wire or the like that'is angularly adjustable, causes little or no wire abr'a} sion, and which is capable in one operation of; clamping a wire and of being clamped in fixed angular position, It should be noted that each embodiment of the instant invention is inherently economical to construct and sins: ple and foolproof to operatel Furthermore each con: riector embodiment is so arranged that it can be handled as a unit, without fear of loss of the elements'thereo'f inasmuch as there is little or no possibility that either the pressure screw or the pressure bar will become separated from the connector body. Thus either of the instant connectors may be assembled either at a factory or in the field with a minimum of etfort and cost.

Various modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

' What is claimed is: V

1. An angularly adjustable connector for fixedly conmeeting 'an elongated extending member 'to a supporting structure in any one of a plurality of angular positions relative to said supporting structure comprising, an internally threaded tubular connector body having openings formed in the wall thereof for positioning said extending member through the connector body, a wall extendi'ng across one end of the connector body, said will having a hole therein, a connector securing means having a portion thereof extending through said hole in said wall, the portion of said securing means extending through said hole being adapted to be fixedly joined to said supporting structure, a pressure bar on said securing means and located Within the connector body and being adapted to bear against a portion of said wall, said connector body being axially movable and rotatable relative to said securing means; rigid selectively interloekable means on said rotatable connector body and said securingmeans adapted to be selectively interengaged with one another in a rigid interlocking manner, upon movement of said connector body toward said pressure bar, thereby selectively preventing relative rotation between said connector body and said securing means, a pressure screw threadabiy mounted within said connector body for selective movement toward said pressure bar, and a pressure disk rotatably mounted on the innermost end of said pressure screw in juxtaposed relation with said pressure bar, whereby said extending member is adapted to be clamped between said pressure disk and said pressure bar.

2. An angularly adjustable connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein clamping of said extending member between said pressure disk and said pressure bar causes axial movement of said connector body relative to said securing means, thereby causing interengagement of the interlockable means on said connector body and said securing means for rigidly locking together said connector body and said securing means to prevent rotation therebetween.

3. An angularly adjustable connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interlockable means comprises respectively a plurality of grooves on the underside of said pressure bar and a plurality of tongue members on the interior of said connector body adapted to fit into said grooves.

4. An angularly adjustable connector for fixedly connecting an elongated extending member to a supporting structure in any one of a plurality of angular positions relative to said supporting structure comprising, a tubular connector body having openings formed in the walls thereof for positioning said extending member through the connector body, a connector securing means adapted to be fixedly joined to said supporting structure, a pressure bar on said securing means and located within the connector body and being adapted to bear against the inside of said connector body, said connector body being axially movable and rotatable relative to said securing means; rigid selectively interlockable means on said securing means and said connector body adapted upon movement of said connector body towards said pressure bar to interengage for selectively preventing relative rotation between said connector body and said securing means, a pressure screw threadably mounted on said connector body for selective movement toward said pressure bar,

and a pressure disk rotatably mounted on the innermost end of said pressure screw whereby said extending member is adapted to be clamped between said clamping means and said pressure bar.

5. An angularly adjustable connector as set forth in claim 4 wherein said selectively interlockable means on said securing means and said connector body comprises multiple tongue and multiple groove members, said tongue and groove members being freely disengageable and rotatable with respect to one another upon move ment of said connector body toward said supporting structure; and clamping of said extending member between said pressure bar and said pressure disk causes axial movement of said connector body relative to said securing means thereby causing interengagement of said tongue and groove members thereby rigidly locking together said connector body and said securing means to prevent rotation therebetween.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said groove members are provided on the underside of said pressure bar and said tongue members are provided on the interior of said connector body; said tongue members being adapted to fit into said groove members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,121,329 Rowe June 21, 1938 2,205,322 Thomas et al June 18, 1940 2,265,911 Landmeier Dec. 9, 1941 2,555,074 Bergan May 29, 1951 2,576,527 Matthysse Nov. 27, 1951 2,694,800 Sunderhauf Nov. 16, 1954 2,777,119 Edmunds Jan. 8, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 246,263 Great Britain Ian. 28, 1926 449,152 Great Britain Mar. 23, 1935 468,257 Germany Nov. 9, 1928 713,146 Germany Nov. 1, 1941 

